Unexpected Friendship
by SilverInk2011
Summary: Olivia meets a victim who is in a huge mess. What comes up is unexpected turns to her own life that this victim makes her see. Some unexpected things come to light within the story. Rated T for language and freaky moments. Multi-chapter story.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. All stories and characters belong to NBC and Dick Wolf.**

Unexpected Friendship

Olivia was just walking out the door when she saw a flash of blonde hair run into the precinct. "Can I help you?" she asked, looking down at the girl. She looked up. Olivia sighed. She could've been no older than eighteen or twenty. She was panting, like she'd just run a marathon. Olivia stared at the girl with curiosity. Was she raped? Was someone following her? Without thinking, she went to get her water so she would be re-hydrated. She sat down while the girl gulped the water. "What's your name, sweetheart?" she asked. The girl looked at Olivia.

"Annie," she said, "Annie Nelson."

"Okay, Miss Nelson-"

"Annie," she said, "please just call me Annie." She looked at Olivia with terrified eyes.

"Okay, Annie," Olivia smiled, "how old are you?"  
"Twenty-one," she said. Olivia looked skeptical, and Annie whipped out her drivers license. She scanned it and handed it back to Annie.

"Okay," she continued, "now what seems to be the problem?"

"I'm being stalked," she said. Olivia rolled her eyes, "no really, I am. He's following me. I know this because he's already raped me, twice. He knows my class schedule, where I work after class, and even where I live. It's just one guy. And I know it's the same guy because he says 'I'm gonna make you mine' in the same scruffy tone that I heard the first time I was raped. He leaves me threatening messages on my answering machine and I always seem to find a death threat in my books. I thought it was just a harmless game at first by a frat house, but then it got more serious. I was too scared to report it at first, but now I know I need help." She looked into Olivia's eyes, pleading. "Is there somewhere I can go where I can be safe?"

"Well, I was just going home, but I guess we could go to a motel first," she said. "I'm Olivia by the way, Detective Olivia Benson." She smiled and shook Olivia's hand.

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The two of them walked down to Olivia's car. Annie saw the 1960s Mustang and said, "Nice car."

"Thanks," said Olivia. "I got it at a used car dealership a year ago."

"Vintage," she said, "classy." Olivia smiled. She looked at the young woman and watched her hop into the front seat. She sighed in the car. Olivia took a quick glance.

"You okay?" she asked. Olivia saw Annie nod out of the corner of her eye. "If you're having second thoughts about this…"  
"I'm not," she said.

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Olivia left to get some things for Annie. Annie stayed in the motel room, wide awake in case anything happened. When Olivia came back, she had two suitcases and a guitar with her. "I'm staying with you," announced Olivia.

"Why don't you go home to your husband and kids?" she asked.

"I'm not married or dating anyone, and I don't have kids," she said. "I have nothing better to do, so I'll stay here." She claimed the bed Annie wasn't sitting on. Annie got up to grab her guitar. She sat back down on the bed and pulled it out. She began to strum it, humming something that sounded like she made it up herself. "What's your major?" asked Olivia.

"I'm a Music major," she answered. "I've been playing the guitar and singing since I was six. I hope to go pro with a record deal, but I have doubts about that happening, so I'll get a law degree just in case." She continued strumming and singing.

"Where do you go to college?" asked Olivia.

"Siena College," she said.

"No kidding?" asked Olivia.

"Why are you so surprised?" asked Annie.

"I went to Siena College myself," she said, "I majored in psychology." She looked at Annie. "I have to tag along with you to your school, by the way."

"That's fine." Annie put her guitar down and pulled the covers back on her bed. She got up and went to get changed. After she came out of the bathroom in sweats, she climbed into bed and rolled over. "Good night, Olivia," she whispered.

"Good night, Annie," Olivia whispered back. She got up to change and went to bed as well.

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"NOOOOOOOOO!" screamed Annie in the middle of the night. The sound of that and her sobbing woke Olivia up. Olivia sat upright and was about to grab her gun and shield when she looked over at Annie's bed and saw her shaking. "Don't hurt me, please don't hurt me. Mama, Mama, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Olivia looked at the sobbing Annie.

"Annie, sweetheart," she cooed, "what's wrong?"

"You wouldn't understand," she said.

"Try me," ordered Olivia.

"My mom was a junkie," explained Annie, "I have no father in the picture, and even if he did come around, I'd kill him."

"Why?" asked Olivia, already knowing the answer somewhat.

"My father raped my mother," she said, "and my mom was already too doped up. I was already spending the first twenty years of my life living up to the fact that I was a mistake. I learned to play the guitar and sing from a street performer I befriended during my long weekends by myself in Central Park. I tried so hard to prove to my mother that I was her daughter and not a mistake, but she just pushed me away. She died of an overdose one year ago, resulting in my taking of much larger student loans after paying every last penny of my savings to the drug dealers she owed. Then this happens."

"Did they call you names?" asked Olivia.

"Nasty ones," she said, "I don't even want to say them."

"Trust me, I already know what they are," said Olivia, "my mom was a falling down drunk and abusive herself. I grew up the child of a rapist as well. My father also raped my mother. She died falling down a flight of stairs ten years ago." Annie looked into Olivia's eyes. "Were you having a nightmare?" Annie nodded.

"I think I'm getting PTSD," she said. "I was going home from school and the man stopped to rape me. I heard the growl of 'I'm gonna make you mine' and I see my mom watching. I begged her to help me, but she snorted heroine and said to me 'you deserve this.' I pleaded and pleaded, and then I woke up. Olivia, it was horrible!" She leaned against Olivia. "It was so horrible!"

"It's okay," said Olivia, wrapping her arms around her and cradling her, "I understand. It'll be okay. That I promise you." She cried and cried. "Shhhh," whispered Olivia.

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Olivia and Annie stopped at the precinct on the way to take Annie to school. Annie sat at Olivia's desk while Olivia went to talk to Cragen. "What the hell is going on?" asked her partner, Elliot Stabler, "and who the hell are you?"

Annie stared at him. "Olivia's helping me get away from and capture the sick bastard that's stalking me," she explained, "and I'm Annie Nelson. I'm a senior at Siena College."

"Elliot Stabler," he said, introducing himself, "I'm Olivia's partner."

"Oh, so _you're_ Elliot?" she asked. He nodded. "She didn't mention that her partner was so _hot_." He blushed. "I'm not hitting on you, just stating a fact." He looked a little more relieved.

"Well it makes me feel younger to hear you say that," he said. They both laughed.

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"Olivia," Cragen began, "what the hell is going on?" Olivia rolled her eyes at her captain. She felt that it was fairly obvious that she was taking on a case at a more personal level.

"I'm just taking on a new case," she said.

"I called your place yesterday and there was no answer," he said, "now I want to know what's happening." He gave her a stern look, "where were you last night?"

"At a motel," she said. Before he brought up anything that wasn't true, she added, "with a victim. She came to me before I left last night and said she was being stalked and that the man stalking her raped her a couple of times. I stayed with her to make sure that she was safe." She added, "She has severe PTSD from a very traumatic childhood and these past couple of weeks."

"Is this going to be a full time case?" he asked. Olivia nodded.

"There is no point in putting her in Witness Protection," she said, "she said it's only one guy. And this is a case of stalking and rape, not something for the feds. Please just let me take this case full time." He nodded okay and she took off. "Ready, Annie?" asked Olivia.

"Ready, Olivia," she said. She motioned to her vic, and Elliot made an objecting noise.

"Liv," he said, "I need you on these cases."

"I can't, El," she said, "I'm sorry, but Annie is a full time case."

"Full time-!" exclaimed Annie and Elliot together.

"Yes," she responded, "Elliot, you need to get a temporary partner. Who was that woman you were partnered with while I was in Oregon?"

"No," he said, "no, I'll just get that lazy ass over there to give me some help while Fin is on loan to narcotics again." He crumpled up a piece of paper. "Munch!" he yelled, throwing the paper at him, "wake up, get off your ass, and help me out." He woke up, a little startled.

"Smooth," retorted Olivia. "You," she said pointing to Annie, "we've got classes to attend. Did you remember your school bags?"

"You left them at my apartment Olivia," she said. "We just need to stop there for a few minutes. I doubt he'll be there." Olivia agreed and escorted her there. She walked in with Annie to make sure everything was safe. When Olivia and Annie were back in the car, she looked at Olivia. "You know, maybe this is a bad idea," she said.

"Why?" asked Olivia.

"I don't want you to short change your partner," she said. "That's not right for me to demand around-the-clock protection." She looked down.

"The only thing that had me drawn into this case was your notion that there were death threats and notes that were given to you with dirty messages on them." Olivia nearly hit a car that was going under the speed limit. "Hey! Watch what the fuck you're doing buddy!" Annie laughed.

"Maybe you should flash your badge into his rear-view mirror," she said, "that'll get him."

"Yeah, as he drives off the side of the road," she said watching him.

"You gonna do something?" asked Annie.

"Not a job for SVU," she said, laughing. She watched the jackass in front of them. "And he switches lanes," she began, acting like one of those sports announcers, "and he switches back, he drives slower, and, not looking where he's going, he drives off the side of the road." His car hits a pole, and it falls over. "Ooh," said Olivia, "that sucks."

"Totally," said Annie. They kept straight faces for five seconds before laughing their heads off.

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Olivia sat on the floor of the lecture hall while Annie sat through her music history class, sleeping. When class was over, Olivia didn't seem to notice until Annie kicked her (after screaming her name a couple of times). Olivia stood up, her guard ready. Then she looked at Annie. "Did I fall asleep?" she asked.

"Yes," she said, "and obviously screaming doesn't wake you up."

"Sorry," she said. They walked out.

"Hey Nelson!" screamed one student. Olivia looked up to see who said it was. "Is it true your mom was doped when she was pregnant with you?" Annie looked down.

"Is it true that you're a bastard child?"

"How 'bout that your father's a jailed rapist?" The questions made Olivia angry. She looked at Annie, whose head was down, and then at them.

"NYPD!" shouted Olivia. "Be careful what you say or I could arrest you for harassment."

"Olivia," said Annie, who was tugging at her sleeve, "let it go. Just let it go."

Olivia looked down at Annie. She knew Annie had tears in her eyes. She put a comforting arm around Annie's shoulder and they walked over to her next class.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: You wanted the next chapter, so you got it. XD

* * *

Olivia and Annie walked through Central Park on that Saturday. It was sunny and perfect for walking through the park. They went to meet the man in Central Park that Annie bragged about.

"Ready Olivia?" asked Annie.

"Yeah," she said.

"You'll have to trust me on this one," demanded Annie.

"All right," said Olivia. Annie began to walk forward, and as she was walking, Olivia tugged on her sleeve. Annie almost dropped her guitar.

"What, Olivia?" she asked.

"Is he a-?"

"No!" said Annie before Olivia could finish her question. Annie had a feeling about what she was going to ask. Annie began to walk forward again, and Olivia gave her another gentile tug on her sleeve. "If you keep doing that, I'm gonna drop my five-hundred dollar guitar that I saved up my life to get." Olivia gave her a skeptical look. "I assisted Raven, okay?" Olivia gave her a look that said "I have another question." Annie looked down in disbelief and then chuckled. "Now what, Olivia?"

"I don't know if I'm comfortable with you doing this," she confessed. Annie looked at Olivia. She looked into those chocolate brown eyes that she'd been staring at every morning through every evening for the past week.

"I'm a big girl," Annie said sternly. Olivia gave a skeptical look. "This isn't Witness Protection or a Federal Case. I don't know why you're so hung up on this."

"I just don't want you hurt on my watch," Olivia confessed. Annie led them to a bench so they could talk. Olivia sat on the right side and Annie on the left.

"Olivia," Annie began, "I couldn't ask for more than what you are doing for me." She clasped Olivia's hand. "Why do you go to great lengths to obsess about this?"

"Like I said," began Olivia, "I don't want you to get hurt. And so what if I'm obsessing? Shouldn't I be?"

"No, you shouldn't be. If I feel something is wrong, I will tell you." She sighed. "Alright, you want a story about what happened with Raven and my mom, you got it. Mom was hysterical once. She found me in the park with Raven. I'd been taking lessons from him for five years then. I was eleven. For some reason, my mom was closing a deal with some dealers down where I was. After snorting a little, she was so high that when she saw Raven, she flipped. She was screaming, 'Street performers are scum!' and went crazy with violence. She took his guitar and smashed it over his head. He was devastated about the guitar, and pissed at my mom. I made even more of an effort not to go home, that I came to spend weekdays at Central Park as well." She looked over at the man that was waiting for them. "Let's go. He's dying to meet you, Olivia." She walked forward and hugged the man with the guitar. "Raven," she said, "it's been a whole week."

"Yes it has, my Little Orphan Annie," he cooed, smiling at young woman standing in front of him. "And you must be Olivia," he said, kissing the top of her outstretched hand.

"Nice to meet you," she said, blushing a little bit.

"The pleasure is all mine," he said.

"Hey," Annie intervened, "did you get rid of the juggler bugging you?"

"Uh..." he said looking down at his feet.

"I knew it," she said, looking at him. "Dude, you are such a jellyfish."

"Excuse me?" he asked.

"You are," explained Annie, "you have a problem with turning away women." She looked at Olivia. "Olivia, this juggler has been flirting with him for the past month, and he's been letting her down easy..."

"But he just can't figure out how to say no to a woman," Olivia shook her head. "Tsk, tsk," she added wagging her finger.

"Single men who act like jellyfish," Annie began taunting. Olivia joined her.

"Alright," he said, "would the two of you just shut up about that?" They closed their mouths. "Alright, Annie," he continued cheerfully, "let's get started with your lesson. I know you hate those lessons they make you take in college."

"You know me so well, Raven," she said. She moved to open her guitar case.

"Did you write anything new?" asked Raven.

"Yeah," she said, "and it'll suck because this one," she nudged Olivia in the ribs, "wouldn't keep her eyes to herself and sat hovering while I wrote."

"Sorry, Annie," said Olivia, "I was curious." Annie rolled her eyes and she continued to get ready. The minute she opened her case, her eyes widened.

"EEEEEKKKKKKK!" she screamed. Olivia looked down and she saw a hand that was in her guitar case.

"Okay," she said, "what the hell are we dealing with?" Annie was shaking. Olivia grabbed her to keep her steady. She was hyperventilating. Raven picked up the hand.

"What the hell is this off of?" he asked, "a cadaver?" He looked at the last piece of music that Annie wrote. He saw words in sharpie seeping through to the other side. "Uh, Olivia, Annie," he summoned, "you might want to look at this." He gave Olivia the hand (after she put gloves on), and she put it in a plastic bag. Annie picked up the music. On the back it said:

_You keep it up, and this will be the last piece of music you write. Nobody rejects me. NOBODY! One more false step, and you'll end up like Sammie._

"Okay," said Olivia, "I'll bite. Who's Sammie?"

"I have no idea," said Annie, "I don't know _anyone _named Sammie. There has got to be some mistake-"

"Doesn't look like it is," said Raven.

"Raven, what the hell are you talking about?" asked Annie.

"Look," he said, holding up two photos, "this must the two of you from this week. And this must be Sammie." He held up the one with a smiling brunette. She was holding a violin. He then held up the second one, with Annie and Olivia walking through the campus of Siena College.

"Oh God, oh God," said Annie, "oh God!" She sat down. Olivia whipped out her phone.

"I'm making a call to my captain," she said. "Hey, Captain... Yeah, well, we're caught in the middle of something really spooky... well it seems this goes deeper than we thought... Yeah, we'll be there in a half an hour." She looked at Annie. "Come on," she said, "I made an appointment with the captain. He wants to talk about this." Annie shakily stood up and Olivia clasped her arm around her shoulder again. "I'm sorry about this, Raven," she told him.

"That's alright, Olivia," he said, "I just want Annie to be safe."

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"What the hell is going on, Ms. Nelson?" asked Cragen.

"I have no idea, Captain," she said, "this guy has been chasing me for awhile now."

"How long is awhile?" asked Cragen.

"It's been a month since I realized it," she answered, "and it took a lot of courage to come after three weeks of harassment." She started shaking again. Olivia instinctively moved to her side. Cragen looked at the two of them.

"You okay?" whispered Olivia. Annie nodded. She moved her eyes to the floor. "Captain," she said, looking at Cragen, "this is really weird. We found a hand in her guitar case-"

"Wait a minute," he said, holding up his right hand, "you found a what in your guitar case?"

"A hand," Annie repeated. Olivia pulled the bag out of her pocket. "Eww, Olivia," she whined, "you put that in your pocket?"

"Yes," she said. Cragen took it eagerly.

"Dear God!" he exclaimed, "when did that get in your case?"

"Sometime between last night and this afternoon," said Annie. She slumped down in her chair. Olivia clasped a hand on her shoulder in a comforting way. Annie placed her hand over Olivia's.

"There was also this," said Olivia. Cragen looked at the sharpie-written note.

"Is this a death threat?" asked Cragen. Annie and Olivia both nodded. "Do you have more of these?" Annie nodded.

"You didn't tell me there were more," said Olivia with displeasure.

"Yes I did," Annie pointed out, "but I didn't tell you if I kept them or not." Olivia didn't look happy. "Check my school bag when we get back to the motel."

"Alright," said Olivia, "I believe you."

"I also have threatening messages on my machine recorded on a CD," she said, "we can listen to it later."

"You better take care of this," said Cragen. The two women nodded.

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"I'll put this in the trunk by your guitar," Olivia announced. Annie nodded okay. Olivia opened the trunk and slid the hand inside. Before she could close the trunk, it slammed on her left hand. "OWWW!" she screamed, "SON-OF-A-FUCKING-BITCH!"

"Oh my God!" said Annie, rushing over to help her. She lifted the lid of the trunk off her hand and Olivia slid her hand out. She closed the lid carefully. "Let me see," demanded Annie. Olivia let Annie look at her hand. She touched it tenderly, barely even letting her fingers touch the top, and Olivia winced with pain. "Alright, gimme the keys," she ordered, "I'm driving you to the hospital." Olivia gave no objection and Annie took that to mean that she could grab the keys. She took those keys away from Olivia.

"I didn't-" began Olivia.

"I know," said Annie, "something freaky is going on and I just don't know what."


	3. Chapter 3

Olivia and Annie arrived at Mercy General. Annie sat in the waiting room while Olivia got her hand fixed. Annie was flipping through the magazines while waiting for Olivia. She glanced over the top of the magazine periodically to see who was walking around in case anything were to happen while Olivia was getting her hand bandaged. At one point, she saw a man in a baseball cap. It was hunter green and white- the colors of the New York Jets. It looked familiar. _He _looked familiar. She saw his face and he made the sliest, most peculiar smile that she had ever seen. She immediately looked back at her magazine. When she let her eyes wander to look above the magazine about thirty seconds later, the man was gone. _What the hell is he?_ she asked herself, _a fucking ghost?_ She looked back and became mesmerized by an article on guitars. She barely noticed when Olivia came out and was standing right in front of her. Olivia kicked her. "Ow!" she hissed, "what the-?"

"You were distracted by a magazine," Olivia pointed out. "That's also revenge for kicking me on Monday." Annie looked at the cast on Olivia's hand.

"How's your hand?" asked Annie.

"It's broken," said Olivia. "Great timing, right?" she added sarcastically.

"No, not right," said Annie pointedly, failing to detect the sarcasm in her voice.

"I know," she said, "I was being sarcastic." Annie made an "oh" face and she and Olivia went back to her car.

"Keys," demanded Annie.

"Can't I drive?" asked Olivia.

"Not with a broken hand," said Annie. Olivia nodded in agreement and they went back to the motel.

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Annie and Olivia lugged the guitar and evidence to the motel room. On the door to their room, they noticed a piece of paper. Annie raised her eyebrows and Olivia's expression became blank. Both of them thought that maybe they did something that they shouldn't have done in that room even though they didn't do anything wrong. Annie was the one that took it off, not Olivia. Annie yelped and fell backward. It was another note. Instead of black sharpie, this time it was written in blood. Attached to it was a human finger. Olivia immediately snatched the note away from her. "Oh my God," she whispered. "Just who the hell _is_ this guy?" She looked at the note, which read:

_I now know where you are. This time, I will find you, and I will kill you. Here's another piece of Sammie to remind you of my last message._

"Let's get the hell out of here," whispered Annie.

"But Annie-" began Olivia.

"No, we need to go somewhere where no one will know where we are," Annie continued. "It also has to be somewhere where you can get care for that hand."

"Don't treat this like I did this on purpose." Olivia looked at her. Annie began to sob a little bit. "Annie, I'm sorry."

"Don't, Olivia, okay," she said, "I know it's not your fault. I probably shouldn't have come to you in the first place. I didn't realize that he really meant business. You could get killed, Olivia. And worst of all, it would be my fault."

"No, Annie," started Olivia, "don't you dare say that. Don't you _dare_ say that!"

"Well how would you think I would feel if I went to visit your grave and it says 'Here lies Olivia Benson. She died instead of Annie Nelson'?" she asked. "Huh?"

"Annie, look at me," demanded Olivia, "we'll go somewhere safe, okay? We'll go somewhere where no one can touch you. I'll be right there beside you. No one can kill me, because I can kill them first." She placed her hand on Annie's cheek. "Okay?"

"Yeah," said Annie, looking back towards the door. "Let's pack quickly."

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"Welcome to my apartment," said Olivia. Annie's mouth dropped open. Her place was a mess. Clothes were thrown askew all over the floor, the couch cushions were thrown about, dirty dishes were piled high. She climbed through the door and followed Olivia into her bedroom.

"When was the last time you cleaned this place?" asked Annie.

"Last year," said Olivia. Annie's mouth dropped open. "What?" asked Olivia. "I have a demanding job. I can't take time to clean my apartment."

"Then that's what we're doing tomorrow," Annie decided. They both changed and got ready for bed. Annie was braiding her hair while Olivia pulled out the quilt. "I'll be out in a minute."

"Who says _you're_ the one sleeping on the couch?" asked Olivia.

"Uh... I do," said Annie. "I'm not kicking you out of your bed."

"Compromise," said Olivia like she had a brilliant idea, "we both sleep in my bed. We're both straight girls, so nothing will happen, right?"

"All right," said Annie, climbing into the unmade bed. Olivia climbed into bed on the other side. She grabbed Annie's long, blond braid.

"How long is this hair?" asked Olivia.

"You've seen it down," she said, "it goes completely down my back." Olivia tugged on Annie's braid. "Stop!" Olivia laughs. "Not funny Olivia."

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The next morning, Olivia stumbled out of bed to find Annie already dressed with her hair pulled back into a tight bun. She was finishing scrubbing the kitchen sink. The kitchen looked completely different. The dishes were in their proper places, and not piled high in the sink. The counters no longer had grime on them, but they glimmered. "I'm almost done, Olivia," she announced. Olivia was still walking around. She looked at the clean floor, now a floor she can see her face in, and one that was ridden with dust and dirt.

"No need to worry about me," she said, "I'm gonna take a shower."

"Alright," said Annie. "Need help?" asked Annie, thinking of Olivia's broken hand. Olivia shook her head.

"I've lived alone for years," said Olivia, "So I'm used to doing things like this with a broken body part." Olivia went back into her room and took a shower. Annie wanted to put on a pot of coffee, but realized that there was, quite literally, no food in the house. She moved to the living room, and began with the couch. She took off the cushions and vacuumed them. She vacuumed the rest of the couch as well. She organized the coffee table, putting the books that didn't belong there on the floor so she could put them on the bookshelf nearby. Annie dusted the table and put some of the things back on it, like the picture of Olivia and her partner, Elliot. Olivia came out of the bathroom dressed and hair and make-up done. She looked at the living room.

"You don't waste time, do you?" asked Olivia. Annie shook her head. "Hungry?" she asked. Annie nodded. "Come on, there's a little place down the road I like."

"Alright," agreed Annie. "Then we're going grocery shopping." Olivia rolled her eyes. "You have no food in this place. Time to stop eating out all the damn time." Olivia reluctantly agreed. They went for breakfast, and went shopping.

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The two women were in the checkout line for the grocery store. This little old lady ahead of them was being quite slow and the cashier was getting impatient. Annie noticed someone familiar in the store. It was the man that she saw in the hospital while she was waiting for Olivia. Annie grabbed Olivia's cast. "What?" asked Olivia.

"I saw that man in the hospital yesterday," she explained.

"So?" asked Olivia, "that doesn't mean anything."

"I got this creepy vibe coming from him," she explained again. "It was like I was in the room with my stalker."

"You think it could be him?" asked Olivia.

"I'm more positive on this than I have been in any other moment. I remember his New York Jets cap and the look he gave me was weird." Annie went further. "I looked over the magazine every thirty seconds. This one specific period caught my eye. He was there but not thirty seconds ago and he disappeared thirty seconds later."

"Are you sure he didn't just leave?" asked Olivia.

"It was like he appeared and disappeared," said Annie. "Just 'poof'," she snapped her fingers, "like that."

"Alright, Annie," said Olivia, "I'll watch him."

"Thanks," she said as she started putting their purchases on the conveyer belt. He was staring at the two of them and Olivia was glaring back. He didn't seem threatened. Olivia studied his every move. She saw every bag that he put in the cart. She watched every move his hands made in case he put something weird in the cart. He looked at her, almost teasing her and daring her to do something about him. She kept her composure, as much as she might have wanted to jump on him and ask him some really pressing questions. He just treated this as some sort of game with his you-can't-do-anything-about-it look. He put the last paper bag in, and the two of them took off.

"What a freak," said Olivia, "it was like he was enjoying me watching him."

"You find that strange?" asked Annie.

"Yeah," said Olivia, "I do."

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Olivia and Annie entered Olivia's apartment with the massive amount of grocery bags (they ended up getting help from the Super to bring them up due to Olivia's broken hand). They were putting away groceries to music and casual chit-chat. They let their laughter help them ease away from what happened a half-an-hour ago. Annie was about to put away what was in the last bag. It felt round. "Olivia, melons are out of season," said Annie.

"I didn't put one of those in the cart," Olivia replied with implied innocence.

"Then why does it feel like this bag only has a melon-" Annie peered in to the bag and screamed as loud as she could. "WHAT THE FUCK IS A HEAD DOING IN THERE!"

Olivia peered into the bag. She saw it and plugged her nose. "I saw him put all the bags in there. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary."

"Then how did a head get in there?" asked Annie, "explain that to me, Olivia."

"Okay, this is my theory, and I hate theories," said Olivia, "he knew you were coming. He had that bag hidden away with the head inside. Once he saw you reach the counter, he put the bag with the head in the cart along with the rest of the bags. He did it this way so you wouldn't notice." Annie sat on the couch and put her hands on her head. "Annie this man is a creep. We have to stop him." She called her unit over.

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"Why did you guys move out of that hotel room?" asked Elliot. Olivia stared. "Liv, what is it? What's going on?"

"Annie and I came here because he found the motel we were staying at and what room we were in," she explained. Annie was on the couch, dead silent.

"She seemed more cheerful one week ago," observed Elliot.

"Yeah," agreed Olivia, "but that was before she found the hand and note in her guitar case, before someone slammed my trunk door on my left hand, before we found a note written in blood on the motel room door with a finger attached, and most certainly before we found a human head in a grocery bag."

"Alright," said Elliot, "do you know who's head that might be?"

"Someone named Sammie's," said Olivia, "when we found the hand and note in her guitar case, it said something about her rejecting him being a big mistake and she could end up just like Sammie." She went into her bedroom and grabbed everything that she had so far. "This is all of it, this and everything Annie saved from these past weeks with the freak."

"I've never heard you call a stalker a freak," observed Elliot.

"Not up front," said Olivia, "only in my head." Elliot stared. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said. He motioned Olivia towards the door. "I'd advise you not to get to close to Annie. You could get yourself killed."

"Better me than her," said Olivia.

"Olivia," he said, trying to shut her up, "when you get to close to the vic, your judgement gets cloudy. Let another cop take care of her for a while."

"No," said Olivia, "I won't do that. She trusts me. I don't want to jepordize that."

"Olivia, think about what your saying-"

"She's like the little sister I never had," said Olivia through her teeth. "I made it my mission to protect her, and it's my job to make sure that she gets that protection." Elliot stared at her and she glared back.

"Alright, Liv," he said, "call me with anything new." Olivia nodded. Elliot left, and Olivia moved to the couch beside Annie.

"Olivia?" Annie whispered, barely audibly.

"Yeah?" asked Olivia.

"I've never been so scared in my life," sobbed Annie. She leaned against Olivia. Olivia let herself become victim to this and wrapped her arms around the sobbing girl.

"It's okay, Annie," she cooed, "it'll be okay." Olivia let her head fall on top of Annie's. She just wanted to give Annie the protection that she wanted, but Olivia found that an unexpected friendship was forming.

* * *

A/N: The truth is still hidden but is beginning to unfold. What will we see in the fourth chapter?


	4. Chapter 4

The next day at Siena College, Olivia and Annie were walking on campus during lunch. Olivia was startled by a call of "Olivia Benson?" She turned around to see who it was. It was one of her old psychology professors, Professor Kilbourne.

"Professor Kilbourne," she breathed and shook his hand, "how are you?"

"I'm great," he said. "I've been seeing you around campus a lot lately. What's going on?"

"We have a stalker situation," Olivia replied, putting it as lightly as she could.

"I see you've been following Ms. Nelson around," he observed, "so I take it she's the one being followed." Annie looked up. She barely touched her food.

"He's not just a stalker," Annie pointed out.

"Well then what is he?" asked Professor Kilbourne.

"A psychotic freak," said Annie.

"Now, now," said the professor, "I'm sure he's not a freak."

"He slipped a hand into my guitar case, a finger on the door of the motel room where I was staying so he couldn't find me at my place, and he put a head in a grocery bag that a bagger gave me. If that's not freaky enough, he slipped me to recent notes. One was written in black sharpie, and the other was written in blood." She looked at the professor. "Is that freaky enough for you?" The professor nodded. Annie found a bench to sit on while she waited for Olivia to finish talking to Professor Kilbourne. She took out her guitar to polish it. She spent an hour on Sunday cleaning it after she found the hand. She wanted to rid it of the filth it was exposed to by the stupid hand that was left there. That and she didn't want to be reminded of the hand or any other body part of Sammie. Sammie... she began to think about her. Just who was she? Was she a violin prodigy? Did she reject this man because of his unhealthy obsession with her? Was he obsessed with her or a jealous ex-boyfriend? These questions began to fill her brain with thought of what might be happening. She glanced at Olivia, who looked like she was discussing old times with Professor Kilbourne. She made no effort to interrupt them. She was absentmindedly polishing her guitar. As soon as Olivia was finished, she was going to go around campus with her to ask about Sammie. She wondered if she still had the photo. She peered into her case, which was littered with old music and a couple of broken picks. She found the photo she was looking for. She walked up to Olivia and Professor Kilbourne, intending to ask him if he knew who she was. "I'm sorry to interrupt this discussion, professor, but I was wondering if you could tell me who Sammie is?" she asked him, holding up the photo. He stared at it and his eyes widened to the point where she thought they would snap open.

"That's Samantha Jackson," he answered. "She was a wonderful violinist but took more interest in psychology than music."

"Was Samantha having problems with anyone, like someone bothering her?" asked Annie. Olivia looked a little bothered, like she was the one who should be asking these questions.

"She didn't have any trouble with anyone," said the professor, "and she had a boyfriend who followed her around like a puppy. He adored her, and from what I saw, she adored him also." He looked at her, "she disappeared one day, and we haven't heard from her since."

"Did you file a missing persons report?" asked Olivia.

"Yes, and they never found her," he said.

"How long ago was this?" asked Annie.

"Two years ago," replied Professor Kilbourne.

"What did this boyfriend look like?" asked Olivia.

"He was tall, short wavy brown hair, white skin, and he always wore a New York Jets baseball cap," he replied.

"Thanks, Professor," said Olivia, "you've been a big help." The professor walked away. Annie and Olivia looked at each other. "Well, now we know more about Sammie."

"And the man he described fits the profile of the man we saw at the hospital and the grocery store," said Annie. "Is that enough for an arrest?"

"Unfortunately, no," said Olivia. "We need to figure out what happened to Sammie first."

"I feel like I've just stepped into the middle of a horror film," said Annie, trembling somewhat.

"I know how you feel," said Olivia. A young man approached them with a package. "Can I help you?" asked Olivia, flashing her shield.

"I have a package for Annie Nelson," said the young man. Annie walked forward, signed the form and took it. She opened it right there. There was a note that was attached to the top. She opened that first. In blood, it read:

_I saw you at the grocery store yesterday. Here's a little reminder of my love for you._

Scared stiff, she opened the package. She dumped out a human arm. She shook with fear looking at it. She knew it was Sammie's. "Olivia," called Annie.

"I see that," she said, "I'm calling Warner."

"Don't," ordered Annie, "just don't. Let's see where this goes." She turned to the young man. He looked like he was a freshman. "Who gave you this?"

"Some guy with short, wavy brown hair and a New York Jets baseball cap," he said, obviously freaked out.

"Thanks," said Olivia. She turned to Annie, "we should look for this guy." Annie reluctantly agreed. She placed the arm back in the box. She closed the box and walked on Olivia's heals. Olivia seemed at little agitated. In a way, it was almost like she was completely freaked out. Annie wanted to see if Olivia was alright.

"I shouldn't have gotten you involved," said Annie once again, "it's obvious you're scared."

"I'm fine," said Olivia, who was obviously trembling from head to foot.

"Don't lie to me, Olivia," said Annie, "at this point, I can tell. You're shaking." Annie grabbed Olivia's arm with her free hand. "Get off the case," she ordered, "let me have a different cop everyday to protect me. Take some time off."

"No!" screamed Olivia. "Look at me, Annie." Annie looked into Olivia's eyes. "I promised that I would protect you. I'm seeing this through. As long as you're safe, I'll be fine."

"You say that, but you're not," said Annie. She moved to hug Olivia. She leaned against Olivia, trying to figure out what happened. "You're not fine." Olivia placed her good hand over Annie's hair. She closed her eyes and the image of a man in a green and white cap cutting a corpse into pieces. Her eyes popped back open. She breathed heavily like she just had the worst nightmare of her entire life. She cringed and clutched Annie tighter. "This is scaring the hell out of me, too." Olivia left her eyes open because the image could not be erased from her mind.

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Olivia and Annie arrived back at Olivia's apartment. They found a large package waiting for them. Olivia opened the apartment door and Annie pushed the box inside. "Alright," said Olivia, "any guesses as to what might be in there?"

"Her entire lower body, by the looks and size of the package," said Annie.

"That would be my guess too," said Olivia. Annie got up to grab the box cutter from Olivia's now clean and organized desk. Olivia stared at the box, still seeing the man with the New York Jets cap torturing and slicing up that girl. She began to huff again. Annie came back. She took one look at Olivia, who looked like she was trying to breathe and save her own life. "Olivia," noticed Annie, "what is it? What's' wrong?" Olivia's eyes widened. She looked like she was having an asthma attack. "Olivia?" Olivia still looked past Annie. "Olivia!" Olivia turned her attention toward Annie.

"I see him," said Olivia, completely freaked out, "I see him torturing and cutting up Samantha Jackson."

"Jesus, Olivia," said Annie. "This is freaking the both of us out," she continued, grabbing Olivia's shoulders, "now, let's open the box to spare us the agony of having to find out sooner, rather than later." Olivia nodded, tears of fright running down her cheeks. Annie moved toward the box and opened it with the box cutter. Annie opened the lids of the box, and she shook a little more violently. There was the entire bottom half of a human being in that box. Almost the entire half. Who ever this guy is, he cut off her feet. There was another blood written note. This one read:

_I'm getting impatient waiting for you. The next package will come tomorrow. I expect you to be waiting for it._

"Okay," said Olivia, "he's getting more and more weird by the day." Annie nodded in agreement.

"I'm going to go do some studying and practice," said Annie, "hopefully it'll take my mind off today."

"Okay," said Olivia, "what do you want for dinner?"

"I'm not hungry," said Annie.

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Annie fell asleep right away that night. She was right about one thing- doing homework and practicing took her mind off the whole thing. Olivia, however, was wide awake with the image of the boy in the baseball cap still penetrating her brain. She looked around with fear. Annie turned over. Olivia looked at her sleeping face. She wondered how a girl that was affected by so much during the day could sleep at all. She sat up and looked around. She shivered. The room was cold for some reason. She took one look at Annie, and Annie had goosebumps trailing down her arms and upper back (she decided to wear a tank top to bed). Olivia pulled the covers over her exposed skin and slid out of bed, trying to figure out why her room was so cold. She walked around. The thermostat said it was sixty-eight degrees in the room. _What the hell?_ thought Olivia, _is the thermostat broken?_

She began to make her way towards her couch to pull a blanket over herself. She stared at the photos and notes that she and Annie collected. She was giving the notes a once over before she realized that they were the ones rendering her sleepless. She put them back down and looked over toward the box. She shivered just thinking of what was in there. She pulled the blanket tighter around herself. She began to wonder again about what was making her room so goddamn cold. She looked around assuming that it was the broken thermostat doing all of this.

A cold wind began to circulate around the room. She looked to her windows. They weren't open. She wondered about what was going on. She was more spooked by what was happening at that precise moment than at any other moment of the case. She thought about how scared Annie would be if she knew what was going on. She knew there couldn't be a spirit in the room. There had to be some sort of misunderstanding. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, but she swore that there was nothing in her living room.

She began to realize that she was wrong. A woman materialized in front of her. She was a ghostly white, barely visible. She was a transparent ghost. She looked at Olivia. Olivia stared back with curiosity. The woman looked at her like she was waiting for Olivia to recognize her. Olivia didn't at first. There was a silver streak down the woman's face that looked like it could've been blood. She saw something that made her think of who the woman was right away. She was clutching a violin.

Sammie.

"Hello?" asked Olivia.

"_Olivia,_" began the woman.

"Sammie?" asked Olivia.

"_Save me, Olivia,_" said Sammie.

"Save you?" asked Olivia, not sure if she heard right.

"_Save me, Olivia_," she repeated before she disappeared. The words ran through Olivia's head.

_Save me._


	5. Chapter 5

Annie and Olivia sat down to breakfast the next morning. Olivia was explaining every crazy detail about what happened that night. Annie stared at Olivia, wide-eyed.

"Are you sure it's not some sort of crazy insomnia?" asked Annie.

"Yes," said Olivia.

"Are you sure it wasn't a nightmare?" asked Annie.

"Yes," said Olivia, "it happened, Annie. I couldn't sleep last night, and I'm pretty sure that I wasn't hallucinating."

"I believe you," said Annie.

"Yeah, right," huffed Olivia.

"No, I do," said Annie with a tone of earnestness in her voice. "It's just a little odd, that's all."

"Do you believe in ghosts?" Olivia asked, somewhat out of context but not really.

"Not usually," confessed Annie, "but in this case, anything is possible." Olivia stared at her incredulously. She didn't expect Annie to believe her. Not at first anyway. "Are you okay? You seem a little spooked."

"I'm just thinking about what she said last night," said Olivia.

"What did she say?" asked Annie.

"She said 'Save me, Olivia'," she answered. "She knew my name. She wanted me to save her."

"How?" asked Annie.

"I don't know," Olivia confessed, "all she told me to do was save her." She stared at her coffee. "How is beyond me."

"Alright," said Annie. "You done?" Olivia nodded. Annie walked over to the sink to wash the dishes. Once she finished, Annie went to grab her bag. "Come on. I have school." Olivia nodded and followed Annie out the door. Out of spirit, Olivia let Annie drive.

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It was Annie that couldn't sleep that night. She walked out of her bedroom staring at Olivia, who had been sleeping since seven that night. They got another package. This time it was Sammie's feet without a note. The room was warmer than it should have been. It was like a fire broke out in just that part of the apartment building. She walked around for a little bit, trying to get her head together. She made sure to stay in the apartment. Annie sat down and drank some water (the heat was unbearable). It all of a sudden turned cold. Just like that. It went from feeling like one-hundred to zero. A whistling wind blew through the apartment. _Is it just me, or does this feel like the scene Olivia describe?_ Annie instinctively reached for a blanket. She tugged it tightly around herself.

She watched as a woman materialized in front of her. She was immediately thinking about what Olivia was telling her. She was weirded out. Everything was beginning to make some sense in her brain. She began to think of who that woman might be. She saw the violin Olivia described. She stood up and walked toward her. "Are you Sammie?" asked Annie.

"_Annie,_" replied Sammie, answering her question with her name.

"What do you want me to do?" asked Annie, looking at the spirit.

"_My body,_" said Sammie.

"What?" asked Annie.

"_My body_," replied Sammie, answering her question with a previous response. She disappeared and the apartment returned to normal. She removed the blanket. She decided that it was better not to wait until the morning. She walked into the bedroom to wake Olivia. She knew Olivia would be pissed, but she decided a pissed off Olivia right now was better than Olivia in the morning.

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"Olivia," whispered Annie, shaking her gently, "Olivia."

"Mmm," responded Olivia, "what is it, Annie?"

"I saw her," said Annie.

"Saw who?" asked Olivia.

"Sammie," replied Annie. Olivia jerked up, suddenly wide awake.

"What did she say?" asked Olivia. "Did she ask you to save her as well?"

"No," said Annie, "she said 'My body.' Any idea of what she means by that?"

"No..." a light bulb suddenly turned on in Olivia's head. "I got it!"

"Got what?" asked Annie.

"To begin to save her, we must put her body back together," said Olivia. "We have her right hand. It's missing an index finger, which is probably the missing finger on the hand. We have her head. We have her right arm, which we can sew on the right hand. We have the entire lower body, including the feet. We can start there. I'll contact the medical examiner in the morning. You're skipping school to come with me."

Annie and Olivia stared at each other, happy that there was finally a break in the case. The mystery man was still the mystery. They would take him out after they have all the pieces of Sammie.

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"Okay, what?" asked M.E. Warner.

"We want you to put the pieces of Sammie together," said Olivia. Olivia and Annie pushed the body parts together on a cart. Warner was mesmerized. She wanted to know just what was happening.

"But we don't have all the pieces," said Warner. "It'll be difficult. We only have the right hand with the right index finger and the head."

"These past two days gave us more body parts," said Annie. She took off the first box. "This is the right arm." She took off the second box. "These are her feet." She pushed the third and largest box off the cart. "This is the rest of her lower body, from pelvis down."

"Okay," said Warner, "I'll get to work on it right away, but why?"

"I just have a feeling she'll be at peace if we do this," said Annie. Olivia nodded in agreement. They both felt that it was better not to tell anyone else about what happened in Olivia's apartment these past two nights.

"Just don't expect any miracles," said Warner.

"We don't," said the two of them in unison. What happened to the two of them was enough of a miracle. Sammie's spirit was assisting in her own murder investigation.

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"So..." began Annie tentatively, "do we catch the bastard after all of this is over?"

"Yes," said Olivia.

"Sweet," said Annie.

"Sweet?" asked Olivia.

"Aww, come on," whined Annie, "police chase."

"Yeah, with pumping adrenaline and actually fighting a resisting perp," said Olivia. "Yeah, it's _real_ fun," she added sarcastically.

"Alright, but when?" asked Annie.

"When we have the last body part sewn onto Sammie's body," said Olivia.

"Won't be long," said Annie. She said this because the moment they reached her apartment, a small package laid there waiting for them. Annie opened it, determined to find out what was in there. It was her left hand, completely intact. A blood written note said:

_Keep me waiting and this could be you._

Annie tugged on her sleeve. "Should we run this down?"

"Not yet," said Olivia, "just put it in the freezer-" Olivia's cell phone rang. "Benson," she said, answering the call.

"Olivia, it's Melinda," said Warner.

"Something wrong?" asked Olivia.

"Yeah," said Warner, "do you have her left hand?"

"Yeah," said Olivia, "we just got it. Why?"

"Because the arm you gave me is her left arm, not her right," said Warner.

"Are you sure?" asked Olivia.

"Positive," said Warner, "the cutting pattern on this arm isn't consistent with the cutting pattern on the hand."

"Alright," said Olivia, "we'll be right down." She looked at Annie. "Well, looks like the arm we're waiting for is her right arm, not her left."

"What are you talking about?" asked Annie.

"According to Warner, the arm we gave her was Sammie's left arm," explained Olivia.

"Are you sure?" asked Annie.

"She said the cutting pattern on the arm and the cutting pattern on the hand were inconsistent with each other," said Olivia, "so it has to be the left arm."

"Alright," said Annie, "gimme the keys."

"No," said Olivia.

"It's my turn to drive," whined Annie.

"You drove around all day yesterday," complained Olivia.

"Gimme the keys," demanded Annie again.

"No," said Olivia, holding the keys in a taunting way above her head. Annie jumped to grab them, but Olivia pulled them higher every time she did.

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"Here's the left hand," said Annie, handing the box to Warner.

"Thanks," said Warner. She took the hand out of the box.

"Well?" asked Olivia. Warner pieced the two together. She nodded. It was a match. She also showed Annie and Olivia the hand with the reattached finger, and the bottom half with the reattached feet. She began to sew the two parts together. Once she was done, she showed it to the two of them. They nodded in approval. She placed the body parts in the freezer with the head. Olivia and Annie left with the promise that there'll be another body part the next day.

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Olivia and Annie both couldn't sleep that night. They kept thinking about what was happening. Were they going to see another thing in the morning. The two of them looked at each other with a little worry in their eyes. How was Sammie doing now? Was her spirit still suffering? Was she watching what was going on? They both waited and waited for something to happen, but nothing did.


	6. Chapter 6

Annie walked around the apartment that night. She wanted to make sure nothing that was unwanted got into the area. Olivia finally fell asleep, and once she was asleep, Annie didn't want to wake her up again. Annie took a close look at everything that was there that Olivia was using to help solve this case. Annie kept wondering if Sammie would show up again. She began to think and her head became so full of ideas that she had to go to the bathroom to splash some cold water on her face because she could feel a budding headache coming on. As she turned off the water, she could see a face in the mirror. It wasn't her face. The face was of a brunette with brown eyes. She had a streak of blood trickling down her face. Annie was peering into the face of Sammie.

"You and Olivia are working hard," she said.

"We're just getting started," said Annie. Sammie looked at Annie.

"What's Siena like now?" asked Sammie.

"It's the same as ever, Sammie," replied Annie.

"Oh yeah," she said, "you were a sophomore when I went missing."

"You mean when you died," said Annie.

"No," said Sammie, "I'm just missing."

"But then how are you... how's your body...?" began Annie, struggling to find the right words.

"I'm just separated from my body," she explained. "Killing Andy will save my life. He has my soul on hold. Reject him, Annie. That'll save your life."

"Reject him?" asked Annie, "but he said-"

"Ignore what he said," said Sammie, "do what I say. It'll be better for all of us." She began to fade. "Don't lose your head."

"I won't," promised Annie. Sammie continued fading.

"When you get my torso... ask the... M.E... to put my... blue halter sundress... on my... body." She faded. Annie looked into the mirror at her own face. She could see all her own features, including her braid. She touched the mirror.

"I will, Sammie," she promised to herself, "I will."

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"I had another encounter with Sammie," announced Annie. Olivia choked on her coffee. Annie walked over to her side to see if she was okay. Once she was stable, she cluched the table and put down her mug.

"She came to you again?" asked Olivia.

"Yes, and according to her, she's not dead," she said. Olivia looked confused. "She said she's just missing." Olivia still looked confused. "Apparently, this guy- who I found out is called Andy- had the ability to put her soul on hold in his pocket. She didn't say how long her soul had been trapped, but she did say that if I reject him and we destroy him, she'll be free."

"Really?" asked Olivia. Annie nodded. "Why did I have to get caught up in a case where we're dealing with the supernatural?"

"Hey," interjected Annie, "what about me? I thought I just had a stalker problem. This is getting a little weird."

"So, are you going to school today?" asked Olivia.

"Nah," said Annie, "I got all my work online. I called myself in sick for the week."

"Okay, but why?" asked Olivia.

"You're gonna need my help," said Annie. Olivia smiled and patted her head. There was a ring at the buzzer. Annie moved to answer it. She found two packages waiting for them. Annie opened both of them. "These are the last pieces. Her torso and her right arm." She rummaged around the bottom of the package. "And the final touch," she added, holding up a baby blue halter sundress. "Warner has to put this on her body. She says it'll help bring her back."

"Alright, let's go.

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They waited outside while Warner was finishing up with the body. Annie was swinging her legs on the bench they were sitting on. At one point she kicked Olivia in the leg.

"Ow!" yelped Olivia.

"Sorry," whispered Annie. She stopped swinging them. She looked down at her hands. They looked like they needed to do something, so she started wringing them.

"Hey," said Olivia, "what is it?"

"Nothing," said Annie, "I'm just bored. God, this is taking forever." She turned her face to look at Olivia. "You know, when I asked you if you would help me with this, I was just imagining that you would give me your number and tell me to call you with my location if something happened. I never expected that I would get a full time body guard." She laughed. "But I did, and you're here, and we're in the middle of the spookiest thing on this side of life."

"Well, I wanted to tag along with you," said Olivia, "I figured that if he already raped you twice and sent you a bunch of threatening messages, that he'd do something even worse. Better safe than sorry, right?"

"Yeah," agreed Annie. Annie moved closer to Olivia and rested her head on her shoulder. Olivia looked down at her. She began to see what Annie really was. "You know, I meant what I said on Sunday."

"Which was what?" asked Annie.

"That you are the little sister that I never had," replied Olivia. Annie smiled.

"I never heard that," said Annie, "but thanks for the compliment."

"Olivia, Annie, can I see the two of you for a minute?" asked Warner.

"Sure," they both said, entering the room. Warner took a look at the body and immediately became freaked out by it.

"This body isn't even in rigger," said Warner. "How long has she been dead?"

"According to everything we followed, it should've been a year-and-a-half," explained the two of them together.

"She looks as if she's still alive," observed Warner. Olivia and Annie looked at each other. "What's going on you two?"

"No time to explain, Melinda," said Olivia, "I'll call you with a location to bring the body, but we've gotta go." Annie stared at her while she walked briskly. "You know where," said Olivia.

"No I don't," said Annie, "what are you thinking about?"

"That's why I'm driving," taunted Olivia.

"God, your worse than your partner," said Annie.

"Live and learn, sweetheart, live and learn," said Olivia, reciting some old proverb.

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They arrived at the grocery store where Andy worked. Annie looked at Olivia, and Olivia nodded at her. She didn't want to do this. Not after he raped her. Not after he followed her. She was shaking. She knew what she was in for. This man can control a woman's soul like a puppet. She was fully aware of that. She didn't want this to happen to her, especially after the hell she _knew_ he put Sammie through. She thought of Sammie's sweet face, of the conversation the two of them had that previous night. She began to think of all that would happen if she gave in. Would he take her soul? Would she actually die instead of being "separated"? Was she at risk of losing Olivia? She didn't know, nor did she want to find out. _I'm a musician, not a spirit chaser,_ she chanted in her head, _I'm a musician, not a spirit chaser. I'm a musician, not a spirit chaser. I'mamusiciannotaspiritchaser. I'MAMUSICIANNOTASPIRITCHASER!_ The words clumped together as she let the chant form faster and faster. She was sweating. It was a cold sweat. She was scared. Terrified. She wanted to run away. She wanted to tell Olivia she couldn't go through with this. She wanted to say that this was all a huge misunderstanding. But her thoughts wandered back to Sammie. She wanted to be saved. Annie was the only one who could save her. Olivia, too. If it wasn't for Olivia, Annie probably wouldn't have had the courage to do all of this. Annie couldn't decide if she should run or if she should go in there and face him.

"What do you want to do?" asked Olivia. Annie looked down. She couldn't decide. She couldn't do it. She was scared. Not for her life, but for her _soul._ She wanted to stay sane and on earth with her body. Annie could see Sammie's head forming in her mind.

"You can do it Annie," she said, "look at me. I'm not just someone who wants to be saved. If something goes wrong, I _know_ Olivia will protect you. Don't think of me. Think of yourself. I know you can be brave. Do this. You can do it Annie. Just believe. Okay? Believe."

"Look at me Annie," ordered Olivia, "no matter what happens, I have your back. If he takes you somewhere, I promise you that he won't live that long, and you'll be safe." Annie stared into those chocolate brown eyes again. Olivia clasped Annie's hand, and Annie suppressed tears of fear.

"I'm ready Olivia," she announced.

"Are you sure?" asked Olivia.

"Yes." Annie and Olivia stepped out of the car to walk into the store.

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Annie spotted Andy and walked over to him. She stared at his tall, thin frame. She began to wonder what was his deal with her. What was it about her that made him obsess so much over her? On second thought, she didn't want to know that. She saw that Olivia reached for her cell phone. She knew Olivia was making a call to Warner. She began to say something to Andy. Before she could open her mouth, however, he began to speak. "I thought we would never have this meeting," he said, with a cool tone in his voice. She winced slightly.

"Um... I actually came to tell you that I want you to let her go," she said. Andy looked at her with a funny expression.

"What do you mean, darling?" he asked, "I thought I meant everything to you."

"I barely know you!" exclaimed Annie. In the background, Olivia made an this-is-getting-ugly face. Annie didn't notice because her back was toward Olivia. "How can you mean everything to me if I barely know you?"

"Because you mean everything to me!" he screamed. The whole store glared. Olivia rolled her eyes. Annie looked at him in fear.

"Let her go!" screamed Annie.

"Let who go?" asked Andy.

"Sammie!" cried Annie. Andy looked outraged.

"She doesn't mean anything to me, darling," he said gentily, "you know that."

"I don't care about what she means to you!" she screamed back, "I'm asking you to free her!"

"What are you saying? That I trapped a woman?" he asked her. She looked frightened. "What is it?"

"I... I... I DON'T WANT TO BE WITH YOU!" Annie finally screamed at the top of her lungs. She could hear the store gasp. "I only know you from the freaky things you sent me. The notes in blood, the body parts, the weird messages on my answering machine. It's got to stop!"

"But I love you," he pleaded. Annie looked at him.

"Love isn't one-sided," explained Annie, "it's mutual. Love between a man and a woman should always be mutual. When it is, it's the most beautiful thing that ever existed. When it isn't, it can turn into obsession." She looked at him. "You're not in love with me, but obsessed with me." He treated this as the biggest mistake that she could ever make. He immediately grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out of the store. Olivia saw this and followed them out. He made Olivia and took off with Annie at a run. While running after him, Olivia called Warner saying she'll call her with a new location. Once she hung up, she continued following Andy and Annie down the street, knowing Annie was scared for her soul.


	7. Chapter 7

Olivia turned a corner, following Annie and Andy. She could hear Annie scream "Let me go! Let me go!" but he gripped her more tightly than she wanted. Olivia picked up the pace. So did he. She went to look and see where they were going. "OLIVIA!" screamed Annie, terrified at what might happened.

"I'm right here, sweetie!" she screamed back. Annie looked back and saw Olivia running behind them. "STOP YOU SONOFABITCH! NYPD! STOP!" He kept running. He was like lightening but he could sense when she would speed up and sped up himself. He turned another corner. She watched them go into a building. She followed them in. He went into another room with her. She began to follow, but he locked the door. "Hey! Open this door!" she screamed, banging hard on it. She tried to kick it down, but she couldn't manage it. She called Warner to tell her the new location. Then she radioed for back-up.

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Annie was thrown on the floor like a garbage bag. She ran to the other side of the room. Andy thought nothing of it. "Stop!" she screamed. He didn't. Annie thought about the one woman that brought her to all of this. She wasn't murdered one year ago. If she was she'd be mostly bone. She's just asleep. Annie thought of Sammie. She prayed that Sammie was close by. "I'm right here, Annie," whispered Sammie. "Olivia radioed for back up. She's right outside the door. She wants you to stay safe." Annie nodded.

"Who are you nodding too?" asked Andy with disgust.

"Sammie," Annie confirmed. Andy looked outraged.

"She's dead Annie," said Andy.

"Then how come her body isn't decomposing?" asked Annie, "how can I see her spirit? How is she talking to me? She's not dead, Andy. She's just missing. She's been missing for two years."

"You stupid bitch!" he screamed, slapping her across the face. Annie winced. Sammie looked at the sight.

"Andy," she began.

"Sammie?" he answered.

"What made you become such a monster?" she asked. "I loved you at one point. You became jealous. You tortured me for six months before cutting up my body and taking my soul." She swooped down to get a better look. "What happened to the man I used to love?"

"I found someone else!" he growled. Annie watched Sammie disappear through the door.

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"Sammie!" Olivia cried in relief.

"Hey," said Sammie, "what's the story on the back-up?"

"They should be here soon," said Olivia, "so should your body." Sammie's face lit up a little.

"Good," said Sammie. She didn't seem as pale this time to Olivia. She had more color. She could see the blue dress that she was wearing. It looked beautiful on her. "She's okay," Sammie continued, seeing the concern on Olivia's face. "He just slapped her, but it didn't leave a mark. She's trying to reason with him." She heard the door slam, and heard voices.

"Olivia!" cried Elliot. He ran to his partner.

"I'd better go." Sammie disappeared through the door. Olivia looked around.

"Liv!" Elliot breathed, clasping his partner's shoulders. "Are you okay?" Olivia had tears sparkling in her eyes. Elliot broke protocol and hugged his upset partner.

"Annie's inside," she breathed. "If I could just get in there, I could reason with him and see what happens." She paused, looking at her partner.

"If anyone can reason with a freak like this," began Elliot, "it's you." Olivia nodded and knocked on the door.

"Andy," she said, "this is Olivia Benson. I'm a police officer. If you could just open the door, we could talk. I'm a very reasonable person." He opened the door. "Thanks El," she said, kissing him on the cheek without thinking. He touched it.

"Just come out alive," he whispered so she couldn't hear him.

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Annie stood to the opposite wall in fear. When she heard someone slip in the door, she looked to the side. "Olivia," she whispered. She stared at the cop that entered. She was grateful for this. She wanted to see what would happen.

"Hey," said Olivia to Annie. She turned to him. "Let her go," ordered Olivia. "We can talk, just you and me. What do you say?"

"Not a chance!" he yelled. He grabbed Annie and held him to his side. He took out a gun and held it to her head. Olivia instinctively brought out hers and held it up.

"You don't want to do that," suggested Olivia. "You really don't want to do that. You'd be taking an innocent life out of this world. Do you want to destroy that? Do you want to destroy the woman you claim to love so much?"

"If I shoot her and you shoot me," he began, "We'll be together. We were destined for each other." Annie looked frightened.

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Warner arrived. Elliot looked at her and at the body she was pushing. "Olivia wanted me to bring this. Said it has everything to do with what's happening."

"She was right," confessed Elliot. "Slip it in that room quietly. It's unlocked." She obeyed Elliot and slipped the body inside. Elliot looked at her and instructed her to get back to the lab quickly. She did so. Elliot stood outside, pacing with worry.

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Andy spotted the body. He took one look at it and recognized it immediately. "What the hell is this?" he asked the two of them, "some kind of joke?"

"No," said Olivia, "this is real. No matter what, Sammie is before you- in body and in soul. She wants to come back. You have to let her go."

"Never!" he shouted. He took his gun away from Annie's head and pointed it to Olivia. He fired and she ducked in time. She fired back, right in between his eyes. Annie fell down as he collapsed. She looked at Olivia. Tears fell down her eyes and she smiled. She'd never felt so much relief in her life. She ran over to Olivia and squeezed her as hard as she could. She squeezed Annie back. Olivia was amazed that she could shoot that well with one hand. Tears fell down Olivia's eyes as well.

"I thought we were both goners," said Annie.

"I thought he'd honestly kill you," Olivia replied. Annie pulled back, smiling.

"Olivia," nudged Annie, "look." Olivia and Annie watched something weird happen. A smiling spirit rose from Andy's body, like he was thanking them for freeing him. He rose and never looked back. Then they looked to Sammie's body. Her stitches disappeared. She looked like a sleeping angel. Sammie's spirit flew into her body. Sammie stirred, and woke with a jump. She looked around. She got up and touched the wall. To her, it felt solid. She knew what happened. Her body was intact with her soul. She smiled and looked to Olivia and Annie.

"Olivia Benson, Annie Nelson," she began to say, walking toward the two of them, "Thank you." She hugged each of them. They looked at each other, thanking God that this was over.

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The three women walked outside. Elliot spotted his partner, ran up, and hugged her, thanking God that she was safe. He saw the third woman. He recognized her from the body that was lying on the table. She was alive. She smiled at him. They walked out into the world without another thought. It was just another day now. Nothing could disrupt this, except another, more typical case for Special Victims. In the end, it all seemed like a nightmare, despite the fact that it was completely real.

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A/N: It was shorter than I wanted it to be. But what are you gonna do, y'know? Anyway. Here comes the aftermath. I hope you enjoy it.


	8. Aftermath

Eight Years Later

Annie and Olivia hadn't been in touch in quite some time. Olivia had always wondered about Annie. She wanted to know how her music career was going. She never had the chance to get her number, but she would find her once she had a CD out. Anyway, she was pacing. They were getting a new ADA. She was curious to see who the new sucker would be. None of the ADAs lasted longer than Novak, that was certain, but she wondered if this one would be able to handle anything. Annie would certainly handle it well, after what she'd been through. Despite what happened, she knew Annie would have that goofy smile on her face. She knew that she would still be the same sweet Annie she met eight years ago. She knew what happened changed their lives.

She saw Cragen pacing his office. She didn't think that that old man would still be captain here, after what she and her first and only permanent partner put him through. She was always placed with a temp. She hated the thought of having any partner other than Elliot. She grabbed the picture of the two of them that she moved from her apartment to her desk. He took a bullet for her seven years ago and has been dead for a while. She knew how much it affected his family and always tried to keep in touch with them. This gave Kathy a newfound fondness for Olivia.

She had a feeling Cragen would drop any day now because they kept putting him through hell. He looked like he was talking to someone. She wanted to go up to the window of his office door to see what was going on, but then she remembered how much trouble she and Elliot got in for doing that, and even more when he found out they'd been doing it for years. He must have been talking to the new girl (they always got female ADAs) and telling her the deal. Most likely he was telling her to stay out of Olivia's way. Yeah, like that was going to happen. She always makes the new ADAs case hell and then warms up to them afterwards. She watched Cragen's door open. She pretended to be busy with something while he called her name, "Olivia!"

"Yes Captain?" she asked innocently. He waved at the new ADA to come out. Olivia recognized her. She saw the long blond hair, only it had bangs now. She looked weird in a pencil skirt and suit jacket. Olivia remembered that she'd always prefered jeans and a t-shirt. She looked at those eyes, and they looked back. "Annie!" she screamed. She got up and ran to her old friend. The hugged tightly, remembering the friendship they had formed years ago. Annie was their new ADA. She went to law school instead of getting a record deal. It made Olivia happy to see that her old friend was the same as always.

"I thought you'd still be here," said Annie like she knew it all.

"Yep," said Olivia, "you really can't keep me out of here. It's where I belong."

"Well, now I'm here to join you," announced Annie.

"Good!" She looked into the eyes of the younger woman. She was happy. So was Annie.

After all this time, nothing changed.

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A/N: This is the end of the story. Thanks for reading and to cutiepie11794 for all the support while this was in progress. Please read some of my other work. I should have something new up soon :)


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